The Boundary-free Enterprise™: It’s a PaaS Thing

Today’s businesses are doing their work through a new Cloud-based array of time- and location-independent computing capabilities – Collaboration, Mobile, Social and Analytics -- plus Integration services which together make the Boundary-free Enterprise™ possible. We trace the evolution of PaaS from its origins through the present and anticipate how it is likely to continue to evolve in support of its multiple roles as an enabler of Cloud solutions, integrator of hybrid solutions, and extender of SaaS and open source applications.

Both enterprises and Cloud ISVs will be challenged to enhance their Cloud and hybrid business solutions through leveraging Mobile, Social/Collaborative and Analytics platforms that may also bridge on-premises data to the Cloud. Developing for this Cloud and hybrid architecture will be the primary activity of enterprise developers over the next three-to-five years, and maintaining these Cloud solutions, integrations and workflows will be the mainstay of IT for a decade or more to come. For ISV and pure play Cloud providers, this emerging new master architecture presents many new opportunities and some new challenges, if they are to compete successfully.

Over time we expect PaaS to evolve to more fully support Collaboration, Mobile, Social and Analytics:

Understanding and embracing the loosely-coupled solution model
Enabling re-architected synergies across Cloud platforms and solutions
Facilitating solutions designed for maintainability as the Cloud evolves

For providers of Cloud solutions targeting the Boundary-free Enterprise™, whether enterprise IT or Cloud ISV, partnering with a Cloud development platform provider will be a strategic decision.

Saugatuck Planning Position: By YE2017, Enterprises, ISVs (and pure-play Cloud providers) will require improved flexibility in developing and enhancing core business operational functionality in loosely-coupled solutions across the Boundary Free Enterprise™platforms.

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Mike West

Michael West is Vice President with Saugatuck Technology. His areas of research and consulting expertise include Cloud Computing, “Enterprise Ready” SaaS, ISVs in transition to SaaS, Cloud Development platforms, SaaS Integration, Social Computing platforms, and GRC. In 2000, Mr. West joined Saugatuck as an early co-founder after leaving Gartner, Inc., where he served as Vice President and Research Director. In 2004-5, Mr. West spent a year in Washington, D.C. at the Corporate Executive Board as Practice Manager of the Information Risk Executive Council, before returning to work at Saugatuck and re-focusing his interests on Software-as-a-Service and Cloud platforms. Mr. West has over twenty years experience in Information Technology at John Hancock, Fidelity Investments, Apple Computer, and Gartner. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and other industry events on a wide range of topics concerning technology and business strategy. He has written and presented research on information management, data administration, applications development, application integration, object technology, client/server architectures, graphical user interface and usability strategies, web site development and Internet applications, network computing, electronic commerce, portals, hubs and communities. Mr. West has an A.B. from Williams College , M.A. from Johns Hopkins University and M.B.A. from the Boston College Graduate School of Management. He has taught IT Strategies in M.B.A. programs at the Boston College Graduate School of Management and at the Haas School of the University of California at Berkeley.

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